Second half dogs

 

Maybe this should be entitled "Second half home" because what I'm really talking about is adopters who take in middle aged dogs.  Dogs who come to us between 5 and 7 years of age are often the best of the lot, but are down on their luck through no fault of their own.  Invariably it is the human who has broken the human/canine contract, by moving without regard for their dog, by marrying poorly, or for a host of other reasons.  It's not always the case that the person is to blame.  Sometimes shit happens:  someone gets sick, dies, loses their home.  Bad things happen to good people and sometimes to people who never imagined they would or could give up their dog.  Sometimes it's the best thing for the dog.

 

Boomer was such a dog.  His owner lost is business and his home, and was in the depths of despair.  He was a decent guy and hated giving up his dog but he didn't know what else to do.  Boomer was a great dog, good with others, and an easy foster.  He had lived in a household so he knew the ways of humans and how to fit in.

He found himself a new home for the second half of his life and it is a good one.  He did his part.  He's always been well behaved indoors and he greets his new person eagerly at the door every time she comes home. He removes the noise makers from all the toys for her.  He makes her happy and he makes her feel safe.  She sent me these pictures today.  The top two pics are of Boomer, now Hans, when I first got him.  He is a classically handsome German Shepherd Dog.  He was painfully thin, however, which apparently had been a chronic condition that had never been successfully resolved.

 

Since then, Hans has seen a vet and is on a very specific diet that is working very well for him.  He has filled out, gaining enough weight that his ribs can not be felt but not seen, which is ideal.  He is also getting acupuncture treatments that are helping his rear end.  Although he was always crazy about a ball here at my house, and was with his former owner, he has now given that up. 

He's a great dog and she's a great dog owner.  There is mutual love and need between the owner and the dog.  She is exactly what he needed for the second half of his life.